AFRICA: East African foreign ministers met in Mogadishu to push peace efforts in Somalia, the first time the regional bloc has met in the country for almost three decades.

AMERICAS: The U.S. Department of Transportation says it will soon allow Mexican trucking firms to apply for authorization to make long-haul cross-border runs.

ASIA: A faction of Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for an apparent suicide attack on a Shiite mosque in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, which killed seven people and wounded 15 others.

EUROPE: A banned radical Turkish Marxist group has retracted its claim for a suicide bombing in the heart of Istanbul’s tourist district, saying it did not carry out the attack that killed the bomber and one policeman.

MIDDLE EAST: Iraqi authorities say two separate bombings on commercial streets have killed eight people in and around Baghdad.

TECHNOLOGY: Six members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization proposed an updated draft of International Code of Conduct for Information Security to the United Nations.

TOP STORY

France: Following twin hostage standoffs, terror threat and danger still not over

Forces continue search for the girlfriend of an Islamist gunman as the country mourned 17 dead in three blood-soaked days.

Key members of the government met to decide on new measures aimed at thwarting a repeat of the attacks in Paris that culminated in a massacre at a satirical newspaper and a supermarket bloodbath.

Many militant supporters organized under the Arabic hashtag #Parisattack and #Parisisburning, with some calling the newspaper assault a holy attack by the “lions of the Khalifa,”or caliphate.

French President Francois Hollande urged his nation to remain united and vigilant, and the city shut down a central Jewish neighborhood following fears of more violence.

“The threats facing France are not finished,” Hollande said. “We are a free people who don’t cave to pressure.”

Region: East African foreign ministers met in Mogadishu to push peace efforts in Somalia, the first time the regional bloc has met in the country for almost three decades. (AFP)

Region: Tanzania will back a UN military offensive against Rwandan rebels in lawless eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Pres. Kikwete has said, dismissing accusations he favoured the insurgents as “preposterous.” (AFP)

Libya: Rival factions have agreed to meet in Geneva next week in a bid to end the country’s political crisis, days after a similar meeting was cancelled. (DPA)

AMERICAS

Region: The U.S. Department of Transportation says it will soon allow Mexican trucking firms to apply for authorization to make long-haul cross-border runs. (AP)

Canada: Police say two brothers have been arrested and charged with terrorism related offences. (AP)

Mexico: Prosecutors want to speak to mayor of Medellin de Bravo as part of an investigation into the kidnapping of a journalist by gunmen. (AFP)

ASIA

Region: Indonesian search and rescue teams raised the tail of Flight QZ8501 and will soon search it for the flight recorders. (Reuters)

Region: North Korea said it had offered to “temporarily” suspend any future nuclear test if the United States cancels its annual joint military drills with South Korea this year. (AFP)

Cambodia: The Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization jointly announced at least 212 villagers have been infected with HIV in a remote Roka commune in the Battambang province. (XIN)

Pakistan: A faction of the country’s Taliban claimed responsibility for an apparent suicide attack on a Shiite mosque in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, which killed seven people and wounded 15 others. (AFP)

Sri Lanka: Pres. Sirisena began assembling a cabinet on his first day in office as he looks to deliver on pledges to repair the war-torn nation’s diplomatic standing and implement democratic reforms. (AFP)

EUROPE

Region: A range of parameters which are the conditions for granting Russia’s $3 billion bonded loan to Ukraine are being violated, according to government officials. (TASS)

Portugal: Vandals tagged the main mosque in Lisbon with far-right graffiti the day after its imam condemned the Islamist terror attacks in Paris. (AFP)

Turkey: A banned radical Marxist group has retracted its claim for a suicide bombing in the heart of Istanbul’s tourist district, saying it did not carry out the attack that killed the bomber and one policeman. (AFP)

MIDDLE EAST

Region: The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has been working around the clock this week to help millions of refugees and internally displaced people endure a severe winter storm that has been sweeping across much of the Middle East. (XIN)

Iraq: Authorities say two separate bombings on commercial streets have killed eight people in and around Baghdad. (AP)

Saudi Arabia: Raif Badawi, convicted of insulting Islam, was brought to a public square in the city of Jeddah and flogged 50 times before hundreds of spectators. (Guardian)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Cybersecurity: Six members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization proposed an updated draft of International Code of Conduct for Information Security to the United Nations. (XIN)